ANSWER Demo Moved From March 1 to March 15

MARCH 15:
Emergency Anti-War Convergence on the White House

MARCH 1:
Locally-Coordinated Actions

The A.N.S.W.E.R. Coalition and other organizations are
calling for an Emergency National Anti-War Convergence to
TAKE IT TO THE WHITE HOUSE on Saturday, March 15. There
will be parallel activities on the West Coast.

The Emergency Convergence had originally been set for
March 1 because we wanted to continue to mobilize
pro-actively to prevent war before it started. It appeared
that the Bush administration would seize upon negative or
ambiguous language presented in the UN weapons inspectors
February 14 report and use it as a pretext for a quick
launching of the war.

We propose now that March 1 be a day for local organizing
and that the Emergency Convergence at the White House be
on March 15. Now the Bush war timetable has been pushed
back because of the political developments that took the
administration by surprise in the last week.

1) The report by the inspectors to the Security Council on
February 14 and the subsequent discussion inside the UN
was a significant set back for the Bush administration's
plans. Included in his report, Hans Blix debunked some of
the dramatic presentation points made by Secretary of
State Powell in his February 5 speech at the UN indicting
Iraq. The presentation by International Atomic Energy
Agency Director General Mohammed ElBaradei revealed that
the inspectors had seen no indication that Iraq was
working on a nuclear weapons program. It was clear from
the response of various UN delegates that the Bush
administration had been momentarily pushed into a
defensive posture, its arguments and rationale for a rush
to war exposed.

2) While the events of Friday at the UN were significant,
the real factor is the massive street protests of the past
few months that have forced some governments to at least
temporarily pull back from a rush to war. This weekend
brought tens of millions of people around the globe into
simultaneous action against the war. The social
and
political relevance of the reemergence of a global mass
movement is altering the political equation. It has been
the basic premise of the A.N.S.W.E.R. Coalition that the
only thing that could prevent this aggression against Iraq
was for the people themselves to become a major force
though mass action. Every government in the world and all
the mass media are recognizing this central fact.

The New York Times agrees with the Bush agenda for the
overthrow of the Iraqi government and it supports a war to
accomplish that end. Thus, it is worth including a few
words from a front page article from the Times which
summarizes the importance of the mass movement:

"The fracturing of the Western alliance over Iraq and the
huge antiwar demonstrations around the world this weekend
are reminders that there may still be two superpowers on
the planet: the United States and world public opinion.

"In his campaign to disarm Iraq, by war if necessary,
President Bush appears to be eyeball to eyeball with a
tenacious new adversary: millions of people who flooded
the streets of New York and dozens of other world cities
to say they are against war based on the evidence at
hand." (New York Times, Monday, February 17, A1, "A New
Power in the Streets")

Because of the intervention of the people, the Bush
administration has again been at least momentarily
frustrated in its rush to war. Since this is a dynamic
struggle between the "two superpowers" (as the NY Times
puts it), we all need to be prepared to respond as
necessary to effectively counter Bush's war drive.

A.N.S.W.E.R. organizers around the country feel that there
is a significant advantage to moving the Emergency
Convergence on the White House to March 15. With two
additional weeks of organizing time, the mobilization can
be significantly stronger.

We also know that there will be March 15 mobilizations in
Spain, Greece, Japan, and we expect in a growing number of
cities around the world.

March 1 is still a significant date and we encourage
c
oordinated local demonstrations on that day. This is the
date that the UN inspectors are now scheduled to give a
follow up report to the United Nations.

Also, on March 5 A.N.S.W.E.R. is supporting and organizing
for the National Moratorium Day, and on March 8 there will
be local events recognizing International Women's Day (as
there are every year), for which A.N.S.W.E.R. is
mobilizing around the country.

WHAT YOU CAN DO:

1) Endorse the mobilization. Fill out the easy-to-use form
at
http://www.internationalanswer.org/campaigns/m15/index.html#endo
(if the link does not take you directly to the form,
scroll down)

2) Organize buses, vans or car caravans from your city. If
you are planning transportation to Washington DC, fill out
the transportation form to spread the word:
http://www.internationalanswer.org/campaigns/m15/index.html#transp
(if the link does not take you directly to the form,
scroll down)

3) Help get the word out! Flyers can be downloaded from
our web site, or we can send you a packet in the mail. A
new flyer will be available by the beginning of next week.
You can download the current flyer at:
Front:
http://www.internationalanswer.org/pdf/0315flyerp1.pdf
Back: http://www.internationalanswer.org/pdf/m15back.pdf

Please check the March 15 page on the A.N.S.W.E.R. website
at
http://www.internationalanswer.org/campaigns/m15/index.html
frequently for additional organizing information. This
will include updated downloadable flyers, as well as
posters and stickers; listings of transportation from
around the country; additional logistical information; &
more.